The Culinary Chroniclers Conclave, which took place on Saturday, brought together the best and brightest minds from the world of art, photography, literature and media to explain the evolution of food chronicling. Whether you write seriously about food or simply take a photo of a dish and put it up on Instagram, you are a food chronicler, according to Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal, the brains behind the event.

Ghildiyal, who has been a food writer and entrepreneur for more than 15 years, told
Mirror that she had been planning this event "in my head for 10 years" as the space of chronicling has evolved from just writing to other media as well. "The whole thought process behind putting the Culinary Chroniclers Enclave together was to create a platform for everyone to come together, share ideas, maybe even create a new narrative of food," she said.

The event not only had lectures by acclaimed names such as Vikram Doctor, Marryam Reshii and Ranveer Brar but also saw masterclasses being held by Saba Gaziyani (food photography and styling) and Ruchi Shrivastava (video shoot) among others.

Doctor, who was one of the four keynote speakers alongside Gaziyani, Ghildiyal and Shrivastava, pointed out that while everyone is a chronicler nowadays, it is necessary to hold people to a standard. And one way to do that is through constructive criticism.

"Saying that writing about food is not important and so you can write what you want is condescending," he said. "It is important to write about food. It is important to call out mistakes."

How to be a food chronicler

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Sujit Patil, Vice President and Head – Corporate Brand and Communications, Godrej Industries Limited and Associate Companies, said that Vikhroli Cucina hosted the Conclave in "an attempt to raise the bar on how we document food."

Gaziyani explained that when it comes to documenting food through photos and videos, she doesn't use any "tricks" to get the kind of shots she wants. "Ice cream is ice cream, not mashed potatoes," she said as the audience chuckled with her. "My job is to show the food the way it is, not make a biryani look like a risotto. My approach is to keep it as real as it gets."

Shrivastava, who has worked on food reality shows, said that many women approached her saying that they wanted to participate in these shows as it gave them a sense of empowerment. "They told me, 'we don't know to sing, we don't know to dance, but cooking is something we know, being on the show would give me a chance to prove myself to my family, who think I am not good for anything'," she recalled.

"With these shows, men now began entering the traditional kitchen. And while 20-30 years ago, a male chef was considered a loser, now that perception has changed," she added.

With so much interest in chronicling food, Ghildiyal is hopeful about making the Culinary Chroniclers Conclave a regular annual event.